Cleveland Hopkins International Airport

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Coordinates: 41°24′42″N 081°50′59″W / 41.41167, -81.84972

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport

IATA: CLE – ICAO: KCLE – FAA: CLE
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Cleveland
Serves Cleveland, Ohio
Elevation AMSL 791 ft / 241 m
Website www.clevelandairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6L/24R 9,000 2,743 Concrete
6R/24L 9,000 (to be 9,956 feet) 2,743 Concrete
6C/24C
CLOSED		 7,096 2,163 Concrete
10/28 6,017 1,834 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2005)
Aircraft operations 258,926
Based aircraft 47
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (IATA: CLE, ICAO: KCLE, FAA LID: CLE) is a public airport located nine miles (14 km) southwest of the central business district of Cleveland, a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States.[1] The airport lies just within the city limits of Cleveland and it is the largest airport in the state of Ohio.

The airport was founded in 1925, making it the first municipally owned airport in the United States[2]. The airport has been the site of many airport firsts: the first air traffic control tower, ground to air radio control and the first airfield lighting system, all in 1930, and the first U.S. airport to be directly connected to a local or regional rail transit system, in 1968. The airport was named after its founder, former city manager William R. Hopkins, on his 82nd birthday in 1951.

The airport handled 11,459,390 passengers in 2007, representing a 1.22% increase over 2006. There were 244,719 operations (takeoffs and landings) in 2007. The airport handles more than 325 daily nonstop flights to over 85 destinations. It is the third largest hub for Continental Airlines and its regional carriers ExpressJet and Chautauqua, which operates its second largest hub from the airport. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, along with Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport comprise the Cleveland Airport System operated by the the city of Cleveland's Department of Port Control.

In 2006, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport unveiled a new marketing and branding campaign. The slogan, "CLE Going Places", will depict the airport's pursuit of improving the passengers' experience as they upgrade the airport facility and negotiate additional air services.[citation needed] Numerous plans are underway including upgrades to the restaurant and store concessions program, taxi service, on-site parking, customer service areas, and the attraction of additional flights to new destinations with the airport's new air service development program begun in 2007.

Cleveland Hopkins has had a few noted events too. In November 1970, actress Jane Fonda was arrested at Cleveland Hopkins Airport when she had became belligerent to a Cleveland Police officer and she also charged with disturbing the peace. In 1985, a mentally disturbed man boarded a Pan-Am plane and took the plane hostage, Cleveland Police Department's SWAT team responded by arresting and subduing the man. In 1985 and 1987 the Concorde made several visits to Cleveland. In 2000, there was supposed to be another visit by the Concorde, but this never happened due to the flight 4590 which crashed in Paris and subsequent ending of the program.


Contents

[edit] Facilities and aircraft

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport covers an area of 1,900 acres (769 ha)[1] which contains three runways:

  • Runway 6R/24L: 8,999 x 150 ft. (2,743 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
    • This runway is being decoupled from Runway 10/28 and expanded southwestward to 9,956 feet.
  • Runway 6L/24R: 9,000 x 150 ft. (2,743 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
  • Runway 10/28: 6,017 x 150 ft. (1,834 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete

The older parallel runway, formerly designated Runway 6C/24C, is 7,096 x 150 ft. (2163 x 46 m). Its ends are prominently marked with lighted 'X' signs to prevent its inadvertent use, as it has now been decommissioned as an active runway.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 258,926 aircraft operations, an average of 709 per day: 64% air taxi, 31% scheduled commercial, 5% general aviation and <1% military. There are 47 aircraft based at this airport: 49% jet, 30% single engine, 13% multi-engine and 9% military.[1]

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport











[edit] Airlines and destinations

Hopkins airport is known for its fanciful giant "paper" airplane sculptures located in the underground walkway between Concourses C and D.
Hopkins airport is known for its fanciful giant "paper" airplane sculptures located in the underground walkway between Concourses C and D.

The airport has one main terminal which is divided into Concourses A, B, C, and D. Concourse D is a separate terminal that is connected from the main terminal by an underground walkway. Concourse D is occupied by Continental Express (operated by ExpressJet Airlines and Chautauqua Airlines) and Continental Connection (operated by CommutAir). Concourse C is occupied with the larger Continental Aircraft serving Cleveland.

The only foreign-flag carrier to serve Cleveland Hopkins is Air Canada, which offers daily non-stop flights to Toronto via its regional affiliate, Air Canada Jazz. In February 2006, Aeromexico applied for and received approval to begin non-stop service to Mexico City, but the service never began and Aeromexico did not seek renewal of the route authority. Aeromexico operated charter flights to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during the 2007-08 winter season.

[edit] International arrivals

International arrivals deplane at a common-use U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility located at the end of Concourse A, with the exception of passengers arriving from from Nassau, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montréal, all of which have have United States border preclearance facilities. Currently, three common-use gates can handle simultaneous international arrivals (A9, A11, A14); these gates can also be used for domestic flight operations.

As in other airports without a dedicated international arrivals terminal, after clearing inspection, both connecting and terminating passengers must place their checked luggage on a conveyor belt and then clear a standard Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint before emerging from the FIS via escalator to the departure-level of Concourse A. Terminating passengers proceed toward baggage claim and re-claim their baggage on a designated carousel; connecting passengers' may proceed to their next departure gate, as their luggage is checked-through to their final destination. Beginning in 2008, passengers terminating their flights in CLE will be shuttled directly to the baggage claim area after they clear customs, bypassing the TSA security checkpoint and speeding their arrival.

Continental Airlines began offering seasonal direct flights from Hopkins to London Gatwick Airport in 1999.[3] Continental Airlines launched a new route between Cleveland and Paris on May 22, 2008. Continental also offers seasonal service to Cancún and Québec City, which uses the FIS facility upon arrival. On September 25, 2007, the United States Department of Transportation tentatively gave Continental Airlines authorization to fly from Cleveland to Shanghai via Newark beginning March 25, 2009. The route will be a "through flight" service, and passengers will have to switch to a larger aircraft after arriving in Newark.[4]

Although the airport offers non-stop service to international destinations, it does not have a duty-free shop.

[edit] Concourse A

Concourse A, originally known as the "North Concourse", was the first of the airport's original two concourses to be rebuilt (in 1978) and modernized with upper level boarding gates. US Airways, (then called "USAir") operated a small hub from this concourse between 1985-1991.[5]

[edit] Concourse B

Concourse B was the first passenger pier added to the airport.

Comair and Atlantic Southeast Airlines Canadair Regional Jets on Delta Air Lines's ramp.
Comair and Atlantic Southeast Airlines Canadair Regional Jets on Delta Air Lines's ramp.

[edit] Concourse C

Concourse C, originally known as the South Concourse when it opened in 1968, is the airport's third-oldest concourse. Concourse C was, until 1985, one of the main hub operations for United Airlines. United slowly cut flights from Hopkins as it slowly built a new hub at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.. By 1987, United had closed its hub at Hopkins and moved its operations to the B Concourse. Continental Airlines quickly established a hub in Cleveland to fill the void left by United (Continental and sister Eastern Airlines already occupied gates in this concourse) and began a total refurbishment (and extension) of the C Concourse, which today is Continental's third-largest hub facility. The legacy of United's once hub-status in Cleveland remained well into the 1990s, as United's check-in counters remained closest to the security checkpoint for Concourse C. (United's counter was moved closer to the security checkpoint for Concourse B in the late 1990s to allow for an expansion of Continental's counter.)

  • Continental Airlines (Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Cancún, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford, Houston-Intercontinental, Las Vegas, London-Gatwick [seasonal], Los Angeles, Miami, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, Orlando, Paris-Charles de Gaulle [seasonal], Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego [seasonal], San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle/Tacoma, Tampa, West Palm Beach)
    • Continental Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago-O'Hare, Columbus (OH), Green Bay, Greensboro, Hartford, Indianapolis, Little Rock, Jacksonville, Louisville, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montreal, New York-LaGuardia, Oklahoma City, Providence, Québec City [seasonal], St. Louis, Tulsa)
    • Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Albany, Albuquerque [seasonal], Allentown/Bethlehem, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Birmingham (AL), Boston, Buffalo, Burlington (VT), Charlotte, Charleston (SC), Chicago-O'Hare, Columbus (OH), Dallas/Fort Worth, Dayton, Des Moines [begins June 12], Detroit, Erie, Grand Rapids, Greenville (SC), Harrisburg, Hartford, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Louisville, Madison, Manchester (NH), Memphis, Milwaukee, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, New York-LaGuardia, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Portland (ME), Providence, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Rochester (NY), San Antonio, Sarasota, St. Louis, Savannah, Syracuse, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan, West Palm Beach, White Plains)
  • Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul)

[edit] Concourse D

Concourse D is the airport's newest concourse.

[edit] Ground transportation

Airport welcome sign.
Airport welcome sign.

Hopkins International Airport is connected to the Cleveland Rapid Transit system. Passengers can board Red Line trains at the station in the airport terminal. During late night/early morning hours, service is provided by the # 22 Lorain bus from Hopkins to Downtown Cleveland. From the upper terminal level, outside United ticketing, one can take Lorain County Transit's express service to Oberlin, Ohio.


[edit] Incidents and Accidents

  • January 4, 1985, Pan Am flight 558, a Boeing 727, was scheduled to fly from Cleveland to New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport. While still on the ground at cleveland, the aircraft was hijacked by one hijacker who demanded to be taken to South America. The plane was stormed by Cleveland police and the hijacker arrested. The duration of the hijacking was less than 1 day.
  • April 27, 2006, Police officers confronted a man at an airport ticket counter. A patrolman was critically wounded by shots fired by the man, who in turn was shot and killed by another officer.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for CLE (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-07-05
  2. ^ ClevelandAirport
  3. ^ Continental Airlines Launches First Ever Non-Stop Transatlantic Service Between Cleveland and London, Continental Airlines news release. June 29, 1999.
  4. ^ http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/ContentViewer?objectId=09000064802c6070&disposition=attachment&contentType=pdf
  5. ^ "USAir Losses Will Cut Jobs, Many Flights", The Charlotte Observer, 1991-01-26. 

[edit] External links

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